222 



Cost per acre of ring-barking and sapping. From is. 3d. to 

 is. Qd. for ring-barking, and is. 6d. to 2s. for sapping. 



Cost per acre of clearing before and ajter the destruction of the 

 trees. The highest price quoted for clearing before the timber has 

 been destroyed is ^3, and the lowest 2 per acre. The highest 

 quotations given for clearing after the timber is dead is 2 ios., 

 and the lowest i ios. per acre. The average per acre of the 

 returns is : before ring-barking, 2 145. ; after the timber is dead, 

 \ 175. 6d. Mr. Throssell writes : " Referring to the value of 

 killing timber as a preparatory measure to clearing for agriculture, 

 it requires to be explained that in setting down the saving at only 

 ios. per acre, I refer to landowners who let out their clearing 

 by contract at so much per acre. But for the farmer who thoroughly 

 ring-barks or kills off the timber some years before clearing, and 

 then clears his land with his own or monthly hired-labor under his 

 own supervision, the saving, I am confident, would be fully one-half." 



TOODYAY DISTRICT. 



Varieties of trees. White gum, jam, York gum, red gum. 



Method and time of destruction. White gum, riri- barking ; 

 York gum, ring-barking or sapping ; jam, sapping ; red gum, not 

 stated. 



White gum should be destroyed from September to October ; 

 York gum, February to March ; jam, at any time ; red gum, not 

 stated. The secretary adds in a note : " The branch is of an 

 opinion that the red gum should never be interfered with on the 

 pastoral lands, as these trees do not do any harm to the feed, and 

 are invaluable as shade." 



Effect of the destruction of trees upon the water supply and the 

 growth of native grasses. The destruction of the timber has a most 

 beneficial effect in inci easing the water supply and the growth of 

 the native grasses. 



Cost per acre of ring-barking or sapping. is. to is. 6d. per acre 

 for either operation. 



Cost per acre of clearing before and after the destruction of the 

 timber. Before, 3 ; after, 2 ios. to 2. 155. The secretary 

 writes as follows : " For agricultural purposes the branch is of 

 the opinion that grubbing when the timber is gresn is preferable 

 to killing the timber by ring-barking, or sapping before clearing. 

 The cost per acre of clearing after ring-barking is from 55. to ios. 

 less, but this is from two to three years after the ring-barking has 

 been done." 



GERALDTON DISTRICT. 



Varieties of trees. Wattles, York gum, jam, Hooded gum. 



Method and time of destruction. Wattles, York gum, and jam, 

 by ring-barking ; flooded gum, by sapping. 



November or December, when the sap is down, is returned as 

 the best time for destroying the trees. 



